subject: Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation In India Gets Overwhelming Response For High Quality And Low Cos [print this page] India has become the preferred place for Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation and other medical treatments. The foreign patients from all the nook and corner fly every now and then for their desired medical treatments. They discover a huge cost difference for a large number of treatments and surgeries including the Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation in India that it is sure to make up for their air ticket. The medical treatment including the airfare cost much cheaper than just the price of their treatment in many western nations. Medical tourism as such serves a dual purpose and you can explore India before or after the treatment.
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) is a biomedical treatment that repairs damages in articular cartilage. ACI provides pain relief while at the same time slowing down the progression or considerably delaying partial or total joint replacement (knee replacement) surgery. The goal of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation is to allow people suffering from articular cartilage damage to return to their old lifestyle; regaining mobility, going back to work and even practicing sports again. Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation procedures aim to provide complete hyaline repair tissues for articular cartilage repair. Over the last 20 years, the procedure has become more widespread and it is currently probably the most developed articular cartilage repair technique. The technique also seems promising with regard to long-term results.
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation procedure takes place in three stages. In a first stage, between 200 and 300 miligrams cartilage is sampled arthroscopically from a less weight bearing area from either the intercondylar notch or the superior ridge of the medial or lateral femoral chondyle of the patient. The matrix is removed enzymatically and the chondrocytes isolated. These cells are grown in vitro in a specialized laboratory for approximately four to six weeks, until there are enough cells to reimplant on the damaged area of the articular cartilage. The patient then undergoes a second treatment, in which the chondrocyte cells are applied on the damaged area during an open-knee surgery. These Autologous cells should adapt themselves to their new environment by forming new cartilage. During the Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, chondrocyte cells are applied on the damaged area in combination with a membrane or pre-seeden in a scaffold matrix.
